The Long Blue Line Disrupted - USS Serpens (AK-97) and the Largest Loss of Life in US Coast Guard History

Campbell & Breen 2019, very good condition

Navy Department Communique No 582, March 1, 1945. The USS Serpens, a cargo ship manned by Coast Guard personnel, has been lost in the South Pacific as a result of enemy action. The story of USS Serpens (AK-97) is an important chapter in Coast Guard history - the most tragic loss of life in the more than 220 years of Coast Guard service to the United States. Contained within these pages is the official ship's War Diary along with some 200 personal letters sent from Serpens' crew to their friends and loved ones waiting for them to return home. On 29 January 1945, while sitting off Guadalcanal, Serpens exploded. Of the roughly 250 crew and Army stevedores on board at the time, only two Coastguardsmen survived. While this is the story of ship and crew, the final chapter still needs to be written - the awarding of the Purple Heart. It was awarded, the two who survived and several families of those killed received them, and then through misstep or miscommunication, the medal was rescinded. This is not acceptable. Co-author Robert Breen was two years old when his father died aboard Serpens; his fight to reinstate the Purple Heart on behalf of the relatives of the Serpens' crew is honourable. The 75th Anniversary of the Coast Guard's loss is in 2020 and it is time to properly honour the Serpens' crew by giving them back their Purple Heart. This book includes descriptions of the crew's time in New Zealand, featuring letters home describing the country and their activities while here....